Let’s have some fun with math. What EDI translator does your company use? For that matter, what ERP, 3PL, or other service is on your short list? Next, how many trading partners do you have? And finally, what EDI, ERP, and other electronic systems do they use? It doesn’t really matter whether you have the answers to these questions. What you would get even if you use the smallest estimates available is a very large number of permutations. How is it possible then to maintain compatibility and also keep up with the accelerated pace of today’s supply chain?

The benefits of automating orders, invoices, and ASNs between your company and its customers are well known. Integrated documents are faster, less prone to error, and improve workflow among your people and systems. At this point, it would be rare to find a major retailer or manufacturer who isn’t using electronic documents to run their businesses. Not so rare, though, are small and medium sized businesses (SMB) still pushing paper. It’s about time for SMBs to make their move, isn’t it?

It's hard to believe that the Holiday season is near - or that for those participating in retail, the season is already well underway. Is it too late to think about making this season better? If you haven't already made the infrastructure and system changes you've been contemplating this year then the answer is likely to be Yes! But there may still be a few things you can do at this late date.

In cooperation with RVCF, this listing is just a snapshot of the myriad of updates retailers post on a daily basis. One of the many benefits of RVCF membership is access to the RVCF Compliance Clearinghouse, a web based monitoring and alert service providing users both online search capabilities and daily e-mails, outlining retailer compliance guide changes for over 150 of the nation's top retailers as they occur. For more information about RVCF and the Compliance Clearinghouse, visit our website at www.rvcf.com or e-mail
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When is a commodity not a commodity? When each individual item is made to order. Not just made for the P.O. but to the specifics of the customer's requests. With traditional supply chain practices it's easy enough to get the order right for the specified number of items in the package. But when that package count is 1, there is literally no margin for error.

It wasn’t long ago that Apple was lauded for its finesse in managing its supply chain. Getting its bazillions of iPhones from China to the US and everywhere else required some groundbreaking advances and a lot of tight controls. Those lessons have gone mainstream as the world took notice and of the company’s strategies and success. And partly because of that expansion, the supply chain now extends to areas as unexpected as social media.

Supply chain processes throw off a lot of data. If you’re a successful supplier who fulfills a significant number of orders then you understand that the detail of the transactions generated by orders, shipments, receipts, and all the miscellaneous transactions associated with every order is just too much to be able to read through, much less make sense of. But every part of your operation from your suppliers to your customers demand some kind of accountability, and it’s your responsibility to know of any problems or even potential problems long before everyone else. But with all the data flowing through your systems, is it even possible to separate the standard data from the trouble signals?

eC-BP brings you the most useful and current information on optimizing your supply chain efforts. Whether your concentration is on EDI, logistics, manufacturing, retailing or any other segment of the supply chain, eC-BP brings you the best and most current information in our Industry Updates section.